Numerous attempts have been made to reduce the detrimental effects of UV radiation on the skin. In fact, UV exposure to skin is believed to cause photoaging, a term used to describe the changes in appearance and/or function of human skin as a result of repeated exposure to sunlight. Of particular concern are wrinkles, coarseness, mottled pigmentation, sallowness, and related changes in the appearance of skin as a result of UV exposure.
Sunscreens are commonly used to prevent photoaging of skin areas that are exposed to sunlight. Sunscreens are topical preparations that contain ingredients that absorb, reflect and/or scatter UV light. Some sunscreens are based on opaque particulate materials including zinc oxide, titanium oxide, clays, and ferric chloride. However, because such preparations are visible and occlusive, many people consider those opaque formulations to be cosmetically unacceptable. Other sunscreens contain chemicals such as p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), oxybenzone, dioxybenzone, ethylhexyl-methoxy cinnamate, octocrylene, octyl methoxycinnamate, and butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane that are transparent or translucent on the skin. While these types of sunscreens may be more acceptable cosmetically, they are still relatively short-lived and susceptible to being removed by washing or perspiration. Moreover, there is a continuing trend in the art to provide naturally-derived skin care ingredients for application to the skin.
Therefore, there still remains a need for a novel composition and method for protecting the skin from UV-induced damage.